Anything similar to Supersister ?

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ While not exactly "working wonders", Stips' input on those two albums -does- colour up the general feel of some songs which would otherwise appear more or less hopelessly pedestrian. A tune like "Facedancer" is pretty much transformed due to his layerings, and the same goes for that intro on Switch. Of course, his role wasn't to transcend the basic formulas of the band, but alas groups like Black Sabbath had demonstrated the effect of adding keys to their sound I find their yearning understandable.

[Rarebird]

OK, we're again dealing with the issue of Eur/North Am releases

The NA album I've had to deal with nears perfection
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...ng/moontan_f5/
Whereas the EUR release is almost nearly as good, though it's got a more "temptalizing" artwork
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...rring/moontan/

Prior to Moontan, Seven Tears, Walls Of Dolls and 8MH were stellar albums, while Tomorrow was not that great either

Onwards after the two Stips albums, we've got Contraband (which I kind of like better, with Con Man, Mad Love and Windmills) and that stupendous double Live Earring. ...

The rest of their discography never gets to waist height afterwards.

Sooo for yours truly (that's moi, BTW), Hilt and Switch are the lesser albums in a string from 8MH to Live ... which is somewhat strange, since you'd have guessed that the addition of someone like Stips to the quartet could've (or should've) worked wonders. But I guess the quartet was too tightly wounded together at the time to accommodate a fifth member - Geeling didn't last long either and AFAIK, they haven't had somebody else in the band since (not that I've paid attention in the last 30 years)

They sometimes have some guest on stage, like Bertus Borgers.

[Zeuhlmate]

"Anything similar to Supersister ?"

Their albums are pretty diverse.
Not many similarities between 'Present from Nancy' and Iskander.
Present from Nancy has clear references to Soft Machine Volume II, Iskander has much broader approach, from middleeast to ELP.

I saw them live at Roskilde Festival in 1974. One of the few bands I remember.

[Progbear]

mmm... not really similar but I guess any Supersister fan will enjoy Pichio Dal Pozzo

If you’re a fan of Hatfield & the North, you’ll probably go crazy for their debut.

you forget his largely forgettable contribution to Golden Earrings. Switch and Hilt are below par albums for GE in those years.

I disagree: To the Hilt is one of my favorite Golden Earring albums. Switch has a fantastic A-side, but the flip is totally forgettable.

Onwards after the two Stips albums, we've got Contraband (which I kind of like better, with Con Man, Mad Love and Windmills) and that stupendous double Live Earring. ...

“Mad Love’s Comin’’ is one of their classics. That riff is one for the ages. Never gets old. The rest of Contraband is such a letdown, as was the Eelco Gelling era as a whole. It’s a shame; the prospect of a two-guitar Golden Earring promises so much yet delivers so little. At least we get one stupendous song out of the deal!

The rest of their discography never gets to waist height afterwards.

I find their whole discography to be rather spotty, with scattered highlights throughout. I personally find Moontan and To the Hilt to be the most consistently good; the rest seems to be “a few good tracks and some filler.” Which is a shame; when they were good, they were fantastic!

Has anyone heard Stars & Stips and can they comment on it?

[Zaragon]

Has anyone heard Stars & Stips and can they comment on it?

Every song is a different style, but the track most pertinent to this thread is the lengthy "Nevergreen," which alternates between classical piano and synth/piano jazz-rock passages.

[Levgan]

Highly rated by collectors, I can't seem to think that much good about Mad Curry and Shampoo, met alone including them in "outside-IK" Canterbury scene lists.

Both fantastic albums IMO, but it is more of an inertia thing when the Mad Curry LP gets mentioned in the Canterbury discussions – it's much more proto-prog for my ears, and as such, people coming to it from a Canterbury angle can be a little disappointed. It's a brilliant piece of music, though, as is Shampoo, which moves closer to the jazz-rock realms, even recycling one piece from the Mad Curry album in a more advanced way.

Re: Golden Earring – when I had a big interview with RJ Stips a couple of years ago, he was charmingly sarcastic about his time with that band, telling me that their records became less commercially successful once he joined, and that he's not completely sure that these events are 100% unrelated to each other

[Prehensile Pencil]

Um,...... if nobody mentioned it yet, there's STARS AND STIPS', "NEVERGREENS". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvvOqall7j4. For the record, while I love Present From Nancy, and all things Supersister, this, and SPIRAL STAIRCASE, are my faves.

[rcarlberg]

I just ran across, completely by accident, an excellent 2013 release of live Supersister tracks recorded in 1971 and 1973. Why hasn't anyone alerted me to this previously???? You guys are slacking.

https://www.discogs.com/Supersister-...elease/5158487

[Rarebird]

I just ran across, completely by accident, an excellent 2013 release of live Supersister tracks recorded in 1971 and 1973. Why hasn't anyone alerted me to this previously???? You guys are slacking.

https://www.discogs.com/Supersister-...elease/5158487

I have that one. Suppose I have mentioned it in the new purchases thread.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I just ran across, completely by accident, an excellent 2013 release of live Supersister tracks recorded in 1971 and 1973. Why hasn't anyone alerted me to this previously???? You guys are slacking.

https://www.discogs.com/Supersister-...elease/5158487

I've got it - on ultrahipster double -VINYL-. Bought it on a whim when I found it in a long-running, successful, real-life record store here in downtown Oslo, ca. 15 minutes walk from my apartment.

And then I went and got a beer served in a glass by a real-life woman with natural breasts and hopelessly unhip hips.

100% true story.

[aith01]

I've got it - on ultrahipster double -VINYL-. Bought it on a whim when I found it in a long-running, successful, real-life record store here in downtown Oslo, ca. 15 minutes walk from my apartment.

And then I went and got a beer served in a glass by a real-life woman with natural breasts and hopelessly unhip hips.

100% true story.

But seriously, I've thought about getting that one. Is it worth owning?

[Trane]

I've got it - on ultrahipster double -VINYL-. Bought it on a whim when I found it in a long-running, successful, real-life record store here in downtown Oslo, ca. 15 minutes walk from my apartment.

And then I went and got a beer served in a glass by a real-life woman with natural breasts and hopelessly unhip hips.

100% true story.

I suppose that means they didn't press CDs, then?

As for unhip hips, they're a lot more comfy at use than those walking anorexic skeletons prancing around.


edit: I checked itout and Pseudonym has released it on CD as well.

[Rarebird]

I have it on CD.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Is it worth owning?

Yes. But quite honestly, one doesn't need the vinyl; first, it's a transfer of digitally processed files (er, obviously), second, the vinyl fills side 4 with radio recordings previously available on the Memories Are New collection. But there are great live-in-the-(radio)studio recordings of pretty fierce energy levels (no pun), such as a flaring "Energy (Out of Future)/Higher" donning heavier sound plus longer and somewhat less psychedelic drum solo than on Bidder. "Judy Goes on Holiday" loses the doowop, though.

It's good, espec for the 'sister fanatic. Natural breasts n'all.

[GentleFriend]

Both fantastic albums IMO, but it is more of an inertia thing when the Mad Curry LP gets mentioned in the Canterbury discussions – it's much more proto-prog for my ears, and as such, people coming to it from a Canterbury angle can be a little disappointed. It's a brilliant piece of music

Agreed! Mad Curry is a no truce head shaker get up off the sofa (no Zappa related, or is it?) twister!

, though, as is Shampoo, which moves closer to the jazz-rock realms, even recycling one piece from the Mad Curry album in a more advanced way.

"Music, ..." would be the piece. Hmmmm... I don't know about "advanced" but nothing beats Viona's voice! (OK, maybe Sonja Kristina, but that's another thread).

Re: Golden Earring – when I had a big interview with RJ Stips a couple of years ago, he was charmingly sarcastic about his time with that band, telling me that their records became less commercially successful once he joined, and that he's not completely sure that these events are 100% unrelated to each other

Ahah, nice one

[rcarlberg]

Yes. But quite honestly, one doesn't need the vinyl; first, it's a transfer of digitally processed files (er, obviously), second, the vinyl fills side 4 with radio recordings previously available on the Memories Are New collection. But there are great live-in-the-(radio)studio recordings of pretty fierce energy levels (no pun), such as a flaring "Energy (Out of Future)/Higher" donning heavier sound plus longer and somewhat less psychedelic drum solo than on Bidder. "Judy Goes on Holiday" loses the doowop, though.

It's good, espec for the 'sister fanatic. Natural breasts n'all.

Yes, these previously-unreleased live recordings (February 5, 1971 for VPRO-TV and July 15, 1973 at Midsummer Popfestival) are SURPRISINGLY great recordings -- and the band is in their prime. They're played essentially identically to their studio recordings, with the exception of a very few missed notes or different keyboard sounds and the drum solo. Supersister was a band, for me, who I always wished had put out a few more albums so I'm in heaven anytime something unreleased is unearthed.

[GentleFriend]

He's released a few solo albums:[list][*]Transister - Zig-Zag (1979) = a poppier, more-conventional version of Supersister

Yeah, but it is so preverted, to use a Zappa line And yes very Zappa-ish wacked preverted pop. One of the best Pop albums out there, in my book.

None of it matches the brilliance of Supersister unfortunately.

Well, nothing beats Supersister's first two albums. But I do prefer TranSister to Spiral Staircase or Iskander yawning canterbury-ish jazz rock.

[rcarlberg]

Most of Stips gigs have been a lot more pop oriented than Supersister.

[Scrotum Scissor]

nothing beats Supersister's first two albums. But I do prefer TranSister to Spiral Staircase or Iskander yawning canterbury-ish jazz rock.

Funny, seeing how most tend to think of Iskander and Spiral Staircase as Supersister's least Canterburian releases. Whereas the first three are seriously infused by Softs and Caravan. I suppose this can't possibly be the case, as the first ones aren't yawning.

[Rarebird]

Most of Stips gigs have been a lot more pop oriented than Supersister.

I think he did some less pop oriented music with Nits as well, like Hjuvi and Torni.



I wouldn't call that very pop oriented and I didn't see anyone leaving, when this was performed.

[GentleFriend]

Most of Stips gigs have been a lot more pop oriented than Supersister.

Is it necessarily a bad thing? What do you think of, say, Devo or Suicide or even (stretching here a bit) Minimal Compact?

[rcarlberg]

Is it necessarily a bad thing?

No, it's not necessarily "a bad thing." But people looking for "more music similar to Supersister" won't find it looking in Robert Jan Stips other output. Maybe if Sacha Van Geest had put out other music...

[rcarlberg]

Robert Jan Stips has played with Sweet D'Buster, Transister and Stips.

Sweet d'Buster (where does that name come from, anyway?) sounds NOTHING like Supersister. It's funky blue-eyed soul music.

[GentleFriend]

No, it's not necessarily "a bad thing." But people looking for "more music similar to Supersister" won't find it looking in Robert Jan Stips other output. Maybe if Sacha Van Geest had put out other music...

Point taken. ��

Other than that, for me TranSister is closer to SuperSister in its vibe than any of the others bands mentioned in this thread. Except maybe for Moving Gelatine Plates in places or Recreation's superlative 2nd album, albeit more keyboard driven.

SuperSister were indeed quiet unique.

[Rarebird]

Sweet d'Buster (where does that name come from, anyway?) sounds NOTHING like Supersister. It's funky blue-eyed soul music.

I didn't say they sounded like Supersister.
Supersister was a group and the music was a product of it's time and of all the musicians involved. The other bands worked in a different time, with other musicians, so one can't expect the same music Supersister made. Mostly Robert Jan Stips was just one of the members. With Sweet d'Buster he appearently felt a bit uncomfortable. Transsister and Stips were probably the only bands were Robert Jan Stips was the main man.